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Potomac, MD to Pittsburgh, PA

I just completed a 2-day trip to Pittsburgh (took in a Nats game at glorious PNC park, my favorite ballpark in the world -- alas, the Nats lost).

Took great Maryland back roads to Gettysburg, then US 30 from Gettysburg to Pittsburgh -- a very nice mountanous road without much traffic at all. Coming home, I took US 30 East from Pittsburgh to Greensburgh, PA 119 south from Greensburgh to Uniontown, then US 40 East to Maryland, where I took Alt 40 and MD 144 through the mountains all the way to Frederick, then local backroads to my home. On the way west I made a stop at the very moving, spontaneous, Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville (west of Bedford). This will become an official National Park, and will I'm sure be beautiful, quite soon, but catch this spontaneous display before they put up the official one.

Here are a few pix. The flag (where the plane hit the ground) is in the pastoral photo -- look hard.

Lee, if you really enjoy Pittsburgh you might enjoy this vision. July 4, 1976 we were at a friend's condo on the top of Mt. Washington. The rivers below were filled with boats and lights, while the Pittsburgh Symphony played Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. We were too far away to hear clearly, so we listened on the radio, but when the cannons went off we heard those for real! Then the fireworks at the end. It was unforgettable.

Western PA

Those are nice pictures Michael. When I was in that area 2 years ago on my IB National Parks Gold ride I missed that memorial. I'm not sure why. I was close; I visited the Johnstown Flood site. The site of a US Air crash from about 15 years ago is also nearby. Last time I went by it, it was protected by Federal No Trespassing signs.

Belated congratulations on your son's selection too. I hope he's adapting to his new life without too much trauma.

Those other pics are also great. I've a friend who used to land his 185 seaplane down on the rivers and I always wanted to do the same with mine but never did. It looked a little too challenging. And now, I can't remember if I rode that tram, but I do remember walking around up on top of the cliff. It's a beautiful place to view the three rivers!

Pittsburgh

Nice ride report. Since I'm a pirates fan I'm glad the Nationals lost. But the Pirates are still on track to break the National League record for most loosing seasons in a row (16) PNC park at night with the city lights in the background is as beautiful a ball park as I've ever been in. We do love da burgh. I comuted into that little triangle where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers form the mighty Ohio for 11 years and still go into da burgh about once a week. Safe riding!

Those are nice pictures Michael. When I was in that area 2 years ago on my IB National Parks Gold ride I missed that memorial. I'm not sure why. I was close; I visited the Johnstown Flood site. The site of a US Air crash from about 15 years ago is also nearby. Last time I went by it, it was protected by Federal No Trespassing signs.

Belated congratulations on your son's selection too. I hope he's adapting to his new life without too much trauma.

Those other pics are also great. I've a friend who used to land his 185 seaplane down on the rivers and I always wanted to do the same with mine but never did. It looked a little too challenging. And now, I can't remember if I rode that tram, but I do remember walking around up on top of the cliff. It's a beautiful place to view the three rivers!

Thanks, Chuck.

The actual crash site (see the pastoral picture in the first posting above) is cordoned off, and only family members of victims can visit. The rest of the site is managed by volunteers, and I got extremely lucky as the volunteer on duty when I arrived was the farmer who owned the land in question (it has of course now been purchased by the Fed. gvt.). He had all sorts of details about the crash. Like I said, visit it before it becomes a federal monument -- it will surely be majestic but will lose its spontaneity.

One tidbit of which I was unaware is that there was a pilot among the passengers, and he apparently was kept in reserve when the cockpit was stormed, in the hopes that he could take over controls of the plane and land it. The Al-Qaeda savages were not prepared to be taken alive, obviously, and downed the plane. For about a mile before crashing it was flying upside-down at about 600 feet altitude -- another fact of which I was unaware.

I really enjoyed the mountainous roads in Maryland and PA (I know you guys out west call the Appalachians "hills" -- but it was wonderful riding nonetheless). The presence of interstates 70 and 68 (the latter is beautiful in its own right) takes almost all the traffic off US Alt. 40, MD 144 and even US 30 in parts, and just makes the whole ride quite moving especially upon leaving the Flight 93 Memorial.

Lee, if you really enjoy Pittsburgh you might enjoy this vision. July 4, 1976 we were at a friend's condo on the top of Mt. Washington. The rivers below were filled with boats and lights, while the Pittsburgh Symphony played Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. We were too far away to hear clearly, so we listened on the radio, but when the cannons went off we heard those for real! Then the fireworks at the end. It was unforgettable.

dan,

arent the fireworks there amazing? sitting up on mount washington never gets old. i think that's one of the best city views i've seen on earth.

we went to pittsburgh one year right after the 4th of july when i was a little kid. sadly, a fireman had died setting up the fireworks display, and so the event was postponed till the 6th or so, and i got to see the fireworks. my grandpap took me down to the river and we sat on some stairs on what i think was the fort pitt bridge, and we watched the fireworks. they float a barge out on the river, and with the stadium (old three rivers) , and the skyline, it was fantastic.

he also used to take me down to the speed boat races, which was cool. i really miss my grandpap. here he is humoring me during my "fonzie phase" (which only lasted until my sophomore year of college) somewhere around pittsburgh.

and nothing beats getting a huge fish sandwich on a friday evening at rocky's in mckees rocks. (pittsburgh is a great eating city.)